Monday, November 2, 2015

All Saints Day and foreign missions

All Saints Day is November 1. On that day, some Christians
annually remember all who lived the faith large and have died, especially those
for whom the Church has not set aside a particular during the Church Year. Other
Christians commemorate All Saints Day more broadly, remembering all of the
faithful who have died. Consonant with this theme, a congregation may offer
special prayers for those who died during the past year.

All Souls Day is November 2. On that day, Christians
have historically offered prayers for all those who have died, especially Christians
who have died.

I prefer All Souls Day to All Saints Day. Saints provide
role models for people seeking to walk in Jesus' footsteps, people who want to
live ethically and abundantly. Saints can be positive alternatives to contemporary
celebrities whose claim to fame most often is rooted in their athletic prowess,
ability to entertain, wealth, or political popularity. These may be good but none
is the rock on which to build a truly abundant life.

Nevertheless, All Souls Day is more basic. All
Souls Day is a time to remember that God loves everyone equally and always. There
is no life apart from God.

Some time ago, an Ethical Musings' reader inquired
whether Christian missionary efforts endanger people in other countries and
whether Christians should attempt to convert non-believers. Recent news items reporting
the diminishing number of indigenous Christians living in the Middle East and Southern
Baptists downsizing their overseas mission presence because of funding
constraints prompt these answers to the reader's questions.

Evangelism is and is not important. That sentence
is neither the equivocation nor doublespeak that it may seem at first glance.
Evangelism, defined as becoming a catalyst for helping people to discover and walk
a path to more abundant living, is important. This type of evangelism best
promotes love for God and expresses a profound love for one's neighbor.
However, this meaning of evangelism is not the equivalent to converting people
to Christianity. Walking in Jesus' footsteps is one path to God that many
people find helpful. Other paths also lead to God. Numerous people find traveling
a path other than Christianity helpful and life giving. Aiding those people on
their journey, without attempting to redirect their footsteps toward another
path, is genuine evangelism. (Readers interested in an in-depth analysis that supports this view might want to read Charting a Theological Confluence.)

Sending missionaries from one culture to another is
fraught with dangers. Foreign missionaries have too often brought intentionally,
and more recently unintentionally, the destructive baggage of imperialism (religious,
economic, political, and/or cultural). The missionary enterprise frequently
embodies an implicit assumption of superiority that precludes the mutual respect,
friendship, and learning inherent in building community. The persecution
causing Christians to flee the Middle East has its roots in a long history of
economic exploitation, political oppression, and religious exclusivity that
exemplify some of the worst Christian missionary endeavors.

Jesus fed the hungry, gave a drink to the thirsty, welcomed
the outcast, and healed the sick. It is sufficient for contemporary Christians to
emulate his example. Whether others choose to call themselves Christian or to
walk the Jesus' path is ultimately unimportant. On All Souls Day, give thanks
for everyone for all are God's people.